Lawyer: Man denies involvement in killing of girl

Lawyer: Man denies involvement in killing of girl

January 11th, 2019by Associated Press in Texas News

The casket of Jazmine Barnes is removed from the funeral hearse to be taken inside the Community of Faith Church for a memorial service, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, in Houston. (Marie De Jesus/Houston Chronicle via AP)

HOUSTON—A man accused in a drive-by shooting that killed a 7-year-old Houston girl says he wasn't involved in the attack, his lawyer said Thursday.

Larry D. Woodruffe, 24, is one of two men charged with capital murder in the Dec. 30 killing of Jazmine Barnes, who was in a car with her mother and three sisters when someone in another vehicle opened fire on them, killing Jazmine.

The girl's family, who are black, told investigators that the shooter was white and in a red pickup truck, but a tip eventually led to the arrests of Woodruffe and another black man, 20-year-old Eric Black Jr. Prosecutors allege that Woodruffe fired the shots from an SUV that Black was driving.

After a court appearance Thursday by Woodruffe, his court-appointed lawyer, Lisa Andrews, told reporters that Woodruffe claims he wasn't in the SUV and wasn't involved in the attack in any way. She suggested that Black might have implicated Woodruffe as the shooter to get himself "out of hot water" and pointed out that the gun that was allegedly used in the attack was found at Black's home, not her client's.

Prosecutors say Black and Woodruffe thought they were attacking people whom they had fought with at a club hours before Jazmine's death.

Authorities suspect both men, who remain jailed, are gang members. Andrews declined to say if Woodruffe belonged to a gang. Court records show that Woodruffe has a long criminal record, including arrests for assault on a family member and drug possession.

Andrews said she filed a motion to have Woodruffe's trial moved out of Houston, saying the extensive pretrial publicity and social media posts and comments that investigators and others have made could prevent him from getting a fair trial in the city.

She also filed a motion asking Harmon to remind the Harris County District Attorney's Office of its duty to ensure that law enforcement officials don't make any biased or inflammatory statements regarding Woodruffe.

For example, Andrews pointed to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez's decision to speak at Jazmine's funeral on Tuesday.

"While that's a heartwarming gesture and I take nothing away, he still is the person in charge of investigating this case. And actions like that don't seem objective or unbiased," she said.

Jazmine's killing led to an outpouring of support for her family from celebrities and ordinary people across the country. It also prompted some local officials and even Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to weigh in on the case.

On Tuesday, Abbott tweeted that authorities must expand the state's anti-gang task force in Houston to "clean our streets of this trash and restore safety."

The head of the Houston Police Officers' Union, Joe Gamaldi, tweeted a photo of Woodruffe and claimed, "This is the Dirtbag that killed #JazmineBarnes."

"They need to let the process play out and quit with the incendiary language," Andrews said.

Police spokesman Kese Smith said Gamaldi didn't violate any agency policies because his tweet was sent in his capacity as the union president, not his capacity as a Houston police officer.

Prosecutor Tom Berg called the motion to change jurisdictions premature, saying he believes Woodruffe will be able to get a fair trial in Harris County, which includes Houston. A trial date hasn't been set.

He also said he doesn't think statements from Abbott and other officials have anything to do with the case.

"We intend to try this case on the evidence ... and not tweets that were made months earlier by other people unrelated to it," Berg said.

In response to Abbott's tweet, both Houston's mayor and police chief suggested Wednesday that the governor could consider redirecting state funds that go toward border security to communities' efforts to combat crime and gangs.

Getting Started/Comments Policy

Getting started

1. If you frequently comment on news websites then you may already have a Disqus account. If so, click the "Login" button at the top right of the comment widget and choose whether you'd rather log in with Facebook, Twitter, Google, or a Disqus account.

2. If you've forgotten your password, Disqus will email you a link that will allow you to create a new one. Easy!

3. If you're not a member yet, Disqus will go ahead and register you. It's seamless and takes about 10 seconds.

4. To register, either go through the login process or just click in the box that says "join the discussion," type your comment, and either choose a social media platform to log you in or create a Disqus account with your email address.

5. If you use Twitter, Facebook or Google to log in, you will need to stay logged into that platform in order to comment. If you create a Disqus account instead, you'll need to remember your Disqus password. Either way, you can change your display name if you'd rather not show off your real name.

6. Don't be a huge jerk or do anything illegal, and you'll be fine.

Texarkana Gazette Comments Policy

The Texarkana Gazette web sites include interactive areas in which users can express opinions and share ideas and information. We cannot and do not monitor all of the material submitted to the website. Additionally, we do not control, and are not responsible for, content submitted by users. By using the web sites, you may be exposed to content that you may find offensive, indecent, inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise objectionable. You agree that you must evaluate, and bear all risks associated with, the use of the Gazette web sites and any content on the Gazette web sites, including, but not limited to, whether you should rely on such content. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you acknowledge that we shall have the right (but not the obligation) to review any content that you have submitted to the Gazette, and to reject, delete, disable, or remove any content that we determine, in our sole discretion, (a) does not comply with the terms and conditions of this agreement; (b) might violate any law, infringe upon the rights of third parties, or subject us to liability for any reason; or (c) might adversely affect our public image, reputation or goodwill. Moreover, we reserve the right to reject, delete, disable, or remove any content at any time, for the reasons set forth above, for any other reason, or for no reason. If you believe that any content on any of the Gazette web sites infringes upon any copyrights that you own, please contact us pursuant to the procedures outlined in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (Title 17 U.S.C. § 512) at the following address: